Beefy Lentil Vegetable Soup

"I hesitate to give any recipes 5 stars, but this delicious lentil soup warrants it. I am a lawyer with a newborn child, and this recipe is easy enough for me to cook on the weekend to take some of th..." See moree pressure off of my wife for later in the week. What's more, my wife and other children think this is a great meal, perfect for cold winter days. I've made two adjustments. First, I use the very spicy V8 brand vegetable juice, and the result is not as spicy as you might imagine, owing (I suppose) to the ameliorative effect of the lentils. Second, I double or triple the amount of mushrooms. They have enough substance (as if they were meat), and they absorb the flavor from the soup so well, that it is worth having more of them around. Really, this is worth a try. We've made it a weekly event lately because a double-batch provides enough lunch for the week."

"YUM! I used spicy V8 and and about 1 cup less water for a thicker soup. Made with ground turkey instead of beef and it was still great. Added 3 4.5 oz cans of mushrooms since my guy is a mushroom-..." See morelover. Definitely salty enough, but we thought it needed a little something more for our taste. Added some onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne for a little zip. Excellent thick soup made even better with a crusty loaf of bread! For added convenience, make this in the morning and let it cook all day in your slow cooker. Thanks for the recipe!"

"This soup rocks!!! I never leave reviews, but i felt the need on this one. I tweaked alittle as well- addes lots of garlic, a can of tomatoes, hot pepper flakes(1 tbsp)and extra beef broth(2 cups) i..." See more like my soup soupy. At the end i also added a can of green beans and a can of corn. Great hearty soup with fabulous flavor."